Time to check on my goals. This week I did a lot of things that weren't quilty. I started quilting on my pink isolette cover. Not done, but at least it's started. I worked on the string blocks, they are all together. Right now the top is about 60x70", do you think it needs a little border, or should I leave well enough alone??

And then I since I had to take them down to take the string picture, I put the last sashings on my 9 patches from an OLD swap. I am thinking I will leave the sashings as the edges, but they are a light color. A border here? What do you think--this top is already quite big 93x103". I may take this apart into two tops, I'll think about it.

Don't worry, all the top didn't fit in the picture! I think there are 85 9 patches. The sashing is a very light apricot color.

I am hoping to finish quilting the pink top and have time to make some binding.

Okay, those are all the goals I'm going to have this week. I have many other things to do so not a lot of sewing time. I even took the pillowcases off my goals for this week. Pillowcases are easy--but I like to use a different sewing machine to make them, and I dread getting it out. I think it's the lifting of it, it's very heavy.

But I've had a GREAT mail week. First, I was in a book swap, and got two wonderful quilt books and a table mat. These came from Betty in Iowa--Thank you Betty!! I have never seen either book before, and I've already picked a quilt to make from one. The other book is strictly historical information on quilts throughout history, and I love it.

And today I received another package, this one from Zana Nini's. Did she know what I needed? Yes, hotpads (I had just been throwing a bunch of old ones away!) and an apron with ANGELS on it. And it has green binding. ;~) The apron has lots of pockets on it, something I can use when I quilt. Thank you Katie!!

I was just thinking, if I wear the apron when I quilt, will the angels help me from saying bad words when things aren't going well?? Or maybe they will just help me so things go right? I like that idea! I will take all the help offered!

I lied. On Friday I said I was going to concentrate on quilting. Then I was looking for something under my sewing table. Oh, there are LOTS of "things" under that table. And I found some string blocks almost finished. So I picked up the scraps from the floor, pressed them, and finished the blocks. ;-) So now I have a complete set of 30 - 12 inch blocks. Plus a couple extra!

I even found some chunks of muslin under there to cut into the foundations!

I love to garden. But I'm not very good at house plants. I have one. A holiday cactus. Now, it blooms whenever it wants to, sometimes it blooms in shifts. Shifts? I have four different colored plants in that pot. A white with fushsia, a yellow, a magenta, and a red. I'm not very good at house plants, but know that every so often you should "soak" the soil/roots. I USED to put this plant in the kitchen sink, but it is too big for that. So I talked Ken into grunting and luggingcarefully carrying this plant into the bathtub.

It almost looks like aliens have landed in my bathtub! And when Ken moved it for me, I found one fuchsia blossom you can't see. It had been hiding in the back of the plant. To soak it I just turned the shower on and let it run for about 10 minutes. If anyone has any suggestions about care for this plant, please tell me. I have tried the putting it in the dark basement where it's cool for six weeks. Nothing happened. This summer I left it on the deck all summer. It grew like crazy. It is now as big as the top of my treadle sewing machine cabinet. My sister (who is a master gardener) says I should trim it back, but I am pretty happy the poor thing hasn't died yet. It's just marching to the beat of it's own drum!

Tomorrow I hope to sew. How has everyone else done? I hope SOMEONE has some finishes!

Time to check on my goals. I haven't quilted the pink baby top, I plan to work on that this weekend. No pillowcases yet, still on my list. The borders are on the blue top. I put a border on the red/white stepping stones. I pieced the a backing for the Japanese Royalty top.

I pieced a backing for the red/white stepping stones, and the blue top. I pulled all these borders and backing from stash. In checking around my sewing area I have 4 tops with backings ready to quilt, 2 tops that need backings, and 4 tops that have backings that need piecing. And I know I have more tops that are close to being finished. I love to piece, but think I better concentrate on quilting for a bit.

So although these aren't finishes yet, I'm very happy with the progress I've made. It feels good to fold the backings and tops together and hang them in the closet.

Do you have any weekend plans?? Nothing special planned here but more sewing!

Well, not THAT big a woe!My notebook computer has a tummyache and will go to the computer Dr. tomorrow. Not a big problem, since he said he would fix it while I wait. Just an inconvenience and a dent in the $$$$.Although I haven't finished anything, I have done some sewing. I pieced a backing for my Japanese Royalty top--I forgot I had an oriental print that was big enough I could use it. It's brown with oriental people on it. And I pieced a backing for the blue top, I found two blues that were compatible and pieced them together. The border I used on the blue top was out of some OLD stash, so old I don't remember anything about it. There is enough of it left I will be able to make the binding, and then it will be gone except for scraps. All of this was from stash, so I'm feeling all virtuous now!

Today the weather was warmer, I just checked the thermometer, and it's almost 35 degrees. Heat wave! This morning my dad drove over to drop something off. I like to go outside to wait when he does this, so he doesn't have to get out of his car and walk on the ice. Would you like to see what I wear on my feet in weather like this?

It's warm enough I don't have on my wool socks. I took a few more snow pictures--the neighbors were having a hard time shoveling to their houses and had a loader come dig out their sidewalk.

There is a blue house on the corner, the snow is as high as the roof edge. Remember I said the snow beside the sidewalk was as high as my hips?

There's the path to my ramp and deck.

Next I will try to find something for a small border on the red/white bricks and stepping stones. Or maybe make those two pillowcases!

Today the weather was better and I was able to run errands. Still very slippery and some blowing snow across the roads making icy spots, but in the daylight it was OK to travel. I have been sewing--see??

The pink top is ready to quilt. The blue top has borders. And I have most the rows of the 9 patch sewn together. I think the 9 patches grew--right now it measures 90x100, and I still have a side sashing and a top and bottom sashing. It probably should have a bit of a border so that is doesn't get grubby marks on the edges. The blue top is roughly 66x76--a nice size. And the baby top is just big enough to cover an isolette, a tad over 36x54.

And I did say the snow was getting deep, before we left today I took a picture--

See the snowbank behind and to the left of my car? That is the drift that goes between the houses up on my deck. That snowbank is higher than Ken, and he's 6 foot tall. You can see on the sides of the drifts where he has gone with the snowblower--it looks like it's been removed in layers. There isn't much snow UNDER our vehicles because he moves them and blows the snow from where they are parked. This year it's been a continious battle, he and the snowblower against the snowstorms!

Time to think about goals for the week. Last week I did so-so. No pillowcases were made, and I've been sewing the 9 patch rows together, but it's not a top yet.

Quilt Pink baby top (did get this loaded)

Make two pillowcases

Add border to blue top

Pick borders for red/white stepping stones top

Piece backing for Japanese Royalty top

Okay, I have some variety on my goals. The one thing I've been able to do this week is NAP. The weather has been very cold, with blowing snow and closed roads. Lots of cancellations in schools etc. Ken even got stuck parking in front of the house with the pickup, had to use the snowblower and shovel. It's icy underneath, no traction for the 4 wheel drive. The snowbank outside is now about 4 inches HIGHER than the floor of my deck.

Already summer plans are being made, there are three weddings so far. This summer I will start volunteering in April and will be giving tours of the dam/powerplant to school groups. I think that will be fun.

Tomorrow I need to run errands, I hope the roads are better and it warms up. Hey, I will be happy if the wind dies down!

Time to check in. #2--I've started to sew the rows of 9 patches together #3--I've sewn the green strips around the Japanese Royalty top #4--The blue blocks are now a top.

A small blue border I think will finish this top, it's about 60x70" now. #5--The baby blocks are sewn together too.

The blue blocks top and the pink blocks were made from my noodle basket. Hasn't made much of a dent in it! But I enjoy working with them. After all, isn't quilting supposed to be FUN??!!

Tonight we are going to a late Christmas party, it was rescheduled due to a blizzard.

I have been watching the weather/news and thinking about everyone on the east coast and the snow. Even close to us, the snow built up along residential areas are hampering ambulance and fire departments. And I hope everyone has the slow melt predicted.

I plan to keep plodding away on my goals this weekend. Maybe next week I can get some quilting time in!

I've had these on my mind all day. I have a busy week this week and will be out a lot. So my goals will be small. I didn't do so well with last week's goals, I wandered a bit but still sewed. It's all good!! For this week---

Make those two pillowcases!

Sew the 9 patches into a top

Sew the green strips onto the outside of the Japanese Royalty top

Sew the blue blocks into a top

Sew the baby blocks I've been working on into a top

Load a top to quilt

Whew--I know that's a long list, and I'm not going to get it all done, but I do have plenty to choose from!

It's very cold tonight, and they are predicting winter storm warnings with wind chill, blowing snow, and poor visibility. Oh well, just normal South Dakota weather! So sorry everyone in the Eastern part of the US that's getting dumped on.

I have two pots of narcissus blooming, the first pot's flowers stink, the 2nd smell better! But they are pretty and nice to see when it's so cold and nasty!

And I've had 4 naps this week, does that go on the report somewhere? Have I caught "sleeping sickness"? I've wandered from my weekly goals, but still sewing. I did spend time this week reading, I like to go thru EVERYONE'S post on the stash report, and usually read back through their blogs. So if I didn't comment--I was reading!!

The last few days it rains during the day, and then snows a few inches during the night. No wind, and the snow is too wet to blow around. It does make good napping weather! Still have large snowbanks here. The snow beside the sidewalk in front of my house is about high hip on me, rather like walking down a tunnel. I can hardly wait until spring.

Time to check on how I've spent the week. Well, I know I took at least three naps!

I've wandered off the path a bit, but still making progress. I have the Japanese Royalty top for Rosewillow'schallenge together. I have a small green edge to add, and then it will be ready to quilt.

I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with it yet, I have a tendency to like my quilts symmetrical, and this is not. But I do like how all the people are grouped and chatting-they have a very cozy feel to them. I pulled the red/white bricks off the wall to take this picture, next I put up these 9 patches. The sashings were made ages ago, and I was tired of working around them and watching them get wrinkled! Now the rows are ready to be sewn together--and a new top will be done. Another UFO getting closer to a finish.

There is no planning to this top, these were some blocks I found in my sewing room from a long ago swap. The sashing is a light apricot fabric. I usually use white, off-white, tan--those safe colors--so this is a step out of my comfort zone. I also offset the 9 patches--another new step to try! It's going to be a large quilt, right now it's about 95x105". There is a lot of it hanging on the floor you can't see! I think there are 86 nine patches.

Yes, I've wandered off from my goals a bit, but I'm still making forward progress!

Someone asked me what kuchen was. Well, the state dessert of South Dakota is Kuchen! It's a German dessert, somewhat like a coffee cake with custard. You have a sweet roll dough that fits into a pie pan, then a thin layer of fruit filling, then a custard made of cream, eggs, and sugar. Top that with cinnamon and nutmeg and bake it. And a piece of the cherry looks like this--

I've been trying to be motivated, but the last two days I've taken a nap. I did get in some sewing, the red and white bricks and stepping stones blocks are all together--

I will leave these hang for a while and see if I spot anything I would need to move. I haven't any border fabric picked out either. Right now the top is about 54x70".

And--drum roll here--I cut up some of my Japanese royalty fabric for Rosewillow's "cut it up" challenge. Yes, I had heart palpitations! I do LOVE that fabric! I have the segments all made and ready to be sewn together. In reading the directions, I will have to "plan" my sewing so my people are all sitting up straight.